He is the namesake behind one of the most architecturally diverse and culturally rich parks in the world, Manhattan’s Central Park.

Just a few minutes east of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus is a beautiful and historically rich piece of land with an abundance of character.

In 1889, the city of Milwaukee’s Park Commission hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design three parks within the city, Lake Park being one of them. Olmsted came to Milwaukee with some baggage. As it happens, he is the namesake behind one of the most architecturally diverse and culturally rich parks in the world – Manhattan’s Central Park.

As mentioned above, Lake Park was one of three parks that Olmsted designed in Milwaukee. Riverside Park and Washington Park were also products of his master scheming; however, of the three parks, Lake Park has remained the closest to Olmsted’s original form.

Stretched parallel with Lake Michigan, Lake Park offers the East Side neighborhoods of Milwaukee a clean slice of nature. A husband and wife taking their new puppy for a walk or old friends sprawled out on the grass catching up are just two of the many scenes you might come across while exploring the park.

Some points of interest within the park include tennis courts, a soccer field, the city’s only land-based ice skating spot in the winter, a playground and the Grand Staircase. Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro is also nestled in the park, offering exclusively exquisite French cuisine. The park also boasts an 18-hole golf course and lawn bowling.

In 1995, Lake Park Friends, a non-profit volunteer organization, was established to endorse the conservation of the park. The mission statement of Lake Park Friends is “to promote the preservation and enjoyment of Lake Park, to sponsor educational, recreational and cultural events in the park, and to raise funds for the restoration and enhancement of the park in the spirit of Frederick Law Olmsted.”

Each day, no matter the season, the citizens of Milwaukee enjoy this jewel of the East Side, even if simply walking by and enjoying the scenes of such a well-preserved piece of historic nature. Winter, spring, summer or autumn, there is always something to do in the park, something for every age.

In an advancing society that seems to preserve very few things anymore, Milwaukee is lucky to possess such a beautiful and historic park which brings happiness to so many. A short walk you will find a place where you can escape from the sights, smells, and sounds of the urban environment and embrace the beauty of nature first hand.

Volunteer opportunities are available in the park. Some activities include bird feeding, helping in a butterfly garden, litter clean-ups and weed-pulling. For more information regarding the park, visit the Lake Park Friends’ Web site at www.lakeparkfriends.org

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